Protesters opposing the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank are expected back on Bangkok’s streets today, Friday, October 16, after police stopped more than 600 marchers at the Rama IV intersection on Thursday morning. The group was heading for the Queen Sirikit National Convention Center, where the two institutions are holding their annual meetings, and said it planned to remain at the intersection overnight and continue the rally through Friday. Organizers argue the lenders’ policies have harmed communities.
Thursday’s march was organized by the People’s Network Against the World Bank and IMF. Demonstrators started assembling at around 8 a.m. and walked through the Khlong Toei area until police blocked their path at about 9 a.m., according to several news sources. Officers put up warning signs and read the legal conditions governing the gathering aloud.
The marchers said they wanted to continue to the destination named in their protest plan. Following negotiations, they agreed to stay at the intersection while their representatives continued talks with police. Tensions rose briefly at around 9:20 a.m., when some demonstrators tried to climb onto a pedestrian bridge to put up a banner. Officers stopped them at first over security concerns, then let them hang it after roughly 15 minutes of discussion.
Organizers say the rally is peaceful. Speakers on Thursday raised concerns about land, debt and the impact of economic policies they link to the two institutions, along with what they view as the lenders’ heavy influence over how countries pursue development. The day’s program also featured discussions, music, performances and symbolic demonstrations by people who say development projects have changed their lives.
Today’s protest coincides with a special public holiday in Bangkok. The cabinet set aside October 16 as a holiday back in May and ordered government officials in the capital to work from home on October 12, 14 and 15. State enterprises, schools, banks and private businesses close to the venue were asked to make their own arrangements based on local conditions. The government said the steps would ease traffic and provide the highest level of security for the finance ministers and central bank governors in town for the meetings.
Anyone driving in central Bangkok today should plan ahead. The Metropolitan Police Bureau has asked people to stay off Ratchadaphisek Road between the Asok Montri and Rama IV intersections, in both directions, on October 15 and 16. People who live or work in the area can still come and go, and the MRT Queen Sirikit National Convention Center station is operating normally.
Police suggest Rama IV, Sukhumvit, Witthayu and Sarasin roads as alternate routes, and they’re urging travelers to take the MRT and leave extra time. The rally left roads around the Rama IV and Khlong Toei intersections badly congested on Thursday, with some routes blocked for a time. Police have said they’ll reopen roads once conditions permit.
There’s also a drone ban in effect today. The Civil Aviation Authority of Thailand has prohibited drone flights in a restricted airspace zone over central Bangkok called VT R1 Bangkok City from 12:01 a.m. to 11:59 p.m. on October 16. All existing permits in the zone are suspended for the day, and any drone work directly connected to the meetings must be approved in advance through the agency’s UAS Portal application. Anyone who breaks the ban could be jailed for up to one year, fined up to 40,000 baht, or both.
The demonstration is also subject to restrictions put in place before the meetings opened. An order published in the Royal Gazette on October 11 prohibits gatherings that block entrances or interfere with operations at 24 locations, among them the convention center, One Bangkok Forum and 22 hotels where delegates are staying. The order took effect on October 10 and remains in force until October 20. Police are asking the public to report suspicious activity through the 191 hotline, while traffic information is available from the Traffic Control and Command Center at 1197.
The annual meetings opened on October 12 and close on October 18. More than 15,000 participants are expected, including finance ministers, central bank governors and leaders of global financial institutions. This is the second time Thailand has hosted the event.
By Thursday afternoon, protest representatives and police were still in talks over whether the group could get closer to the convention center. The rally is scheduled to run through today.
